Import/export HS code 283640: Potassium carbonates
Used in making soap, glass, and fertilizers. Also found in some food products
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 6,507,710 |
| France | 5,332,480 |
| China | 2,888,369 |
| South Korea | 2,590,115 |
| Ireland | 1,382,677 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 4,154,919 | 2,352,791 | -1,802,128 |
| France | 2,045,059 | 3,287,421 | +1,242,362 |
| China | 1,655,694 | 1,232,675 | -423,019 |
| South Korea | 1,600,760 | 989,355 | -611,405 |
| Ireland | 708,037 | 674,640 | -33,397 |
| United States | 328,481 | 329,887 | +1,406 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 560,543 | 32,402 | -528,141 |
| Belgium | 302,580 | 214,075 | -88,505 |
| Italy | 233,110 | 122,203 | -110,907 |
| Netherlands | 100,963 | 129,656 | +28,693 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 5,870,283 |
| France | 5,115,365 |
| China | 4,279,211 |
| South Korea | 2,698,385 |
| Ireland | 1,250,730 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3,885,984 | 1,984,299 | -1,901,685 |
| France | 1,865,149 | 3,250,216 | +1,385,067 |
| China | 2,563,134 | 1,716,077 | -847,057 |
| South Korea | 1,632,724 | 1,065,661 | -567,063 |
| Ireland | 646,955 | 603,775 | -43,180 |
| Italy | 519,241 | 322,590 | -196,651 |
| United States | 415,667 | 329,909 | -85,758 |
| Switzerland | 6,782 | 169,336 | +162,554 |
| Belgium | 81,119 | 79,746 | -1,373 |
| Norway | 30,605 | 0 | -30,605 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 |
| Inner London - West | 2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 |
| North Yorkshire | 2 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| North Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 | 2 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Cheshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 13,171,520 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 8,005,633 |
| Other | 34,021 |
| Air transport | 32,260 |
| Road transport | 1,119 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,710,565 | 5,460,955 | -2,249,610 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 3,954,543 | 4,051,090 | +96,547 |
| Other | 26,112 | 7,909 | -18,203 |
| Air transport | 13,351 | 18,909 | +5,558 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,119 | +1,119 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 6,991,442 |
| Felixstowe | 4,439,152 |
| Southampton | 2,383,594 |
| Holyhead | 1,254,500 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,224,367 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 2,440,869 | 4,550,573 | +2,109,704 |
| Felixstowe | 2,998,689 | 1,440,463 | -1,558,226 |
| Southampton | 1,294,236 | 1,089,358 | -204,878 |
| Holyhead | 580,136 | 674,364 | +94,228 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 1,224,367 | 0 | -1,224,367 |
| Killingholme | 691,043 | 438,297 | -252,746 |
| Hull | 971,041 | 1,685 | -969,356 |
| Immingham Docks | 476,123 | 415,527 | -60,596 |
| London Gateway Port | 261,243 | 495,307 | +234,064 |
| Harwich | 212,592 | 290,842 | +78,250 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 19 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 4 |
| Other manufacturing | 3 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 2 |
| Accommodation | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 9 |
| 2025-11 | 4 |
| 2025-10 | 8 |
| 2025-09 | 10 |
| 2025-08 | 6 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| NORKEM LIMITED | 55 |
| BEVERAGE SERVICES LIMITED | 41 |
| DAKRAM MATERIALS LTD. | 38 |
| HYPERAMA PLC | 32 |
| BRENNTAG UK HOLDING LIMITED | 30 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 27 |
| JDM DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED | 27 |
| KUDOS BLENDS LIMITED | 25 |
| CEDA CHEMICALS LIMITED | 25 |
| HOO HING HOLDINGS LIMITED | 21 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 16 |
| 1m-15m | 8 |
| 15m-54m | 6 |
| 0-1m | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,167,171 |
| Australia | 792,916 |
| Ireland | 572,247 |
| Italy | 379,570 |
| Germany | 378,071 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 376,792 | 790,379 | +413,587 |
| Australia | 349,827 | 443,089 | +93,262 |
| Ireland | 361,121 | 211,126 | -149,995 |
| Italy | 225,680 | 153,890 | -71,790 |
| Germany | 74,582 | 303,489 | +228,907 |
| Canada | 119,502 | 133,689 | +14,187 |
| Netherlands | 112,638 | 75,350 | -37,288 |
| Denmark | 29,133 | 45,874 | +16,741 |
| Peru | 19,729 | 41,082 | +21,353 |
| France | 33,855 | 26,436 | -7,419 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 15,852 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 7,790 | 8,062 | +272 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,943,420 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,187,700 |
| Air transport | 38,758 |
| Other | 16,278 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,349,301 | 1,594,119 | +244,818 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 460,626 | 727,074 | +266,448 |
| Air transport | 17,117 | 21,641 | +4,524 |
| Other | 8,216 | 8,062 | -154 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 1,220,650 |
| Immingham Docks | 569,351 |
| Liverpool Docks | 512,540 |
| Felixstowe | 507,711 |
| London Gateway Port | 418,717 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 414,701 | 805,949 | +391,248 |
| Immingham Docks | 293,588 | 275,763 | -17,825 |
| Liverpool Docks | 362,533 | 150,007 | -212,526 |
| Felixstowe | 220,663 | 287,048 | +66,385 |
| London Gateway Port | 186,098 | 232,619 | +46,521 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 115,985 | 247,838 | +131,853 |
| Heysham | 42,437 | 191,665 | +149,228 |
| Holyhead | 66,565 | 14,131 | -52,434 |
| Harwich | 35,200 | 43,995 | +8,795 |
| Dover | 47,875 | 16,790 | -31,085 |
Quick facts
HS code: 283640
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Used in making soap, glass, and fertilizers. Also found in some food products